Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, device and system, which are used to reduce the complexity of network devices in determining the inter-cell delay difference. A terminal device can determine the downlink delay difference and report it to the network device, thereby reducing the cooperative communication between network devices. The method comprises: receiving a first downlink signal through a first cell and a second downlink signal through a second cell; wherein the first cell and the second cell belong to different network devices; and sending inter-cell delay difference information, wherein the inter-cell delay difference information is used to indicate the delay difference between a first delay and a second delay, wherein the first delay is the delay from the first cell to the terminal device, the second delay is the delay from the second cell to the terminal device, the first delay is determined according to the first downlink signal, and the second delay is determined according to the second downlink signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to communication methods, apparatus and systems. Background Technology

[0002] The transmit or receive channels differ between cells. In multi-cell collaborative communication scenarios, inter-cell delay compensation is needed to eliminate the impact of different transmit and receive channels between cells.

[0003] Because it involves information exchange between network devices, current methods for determining latency differences require high levels of collaborative communication between these devices, resulting in high implementation complexity. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides communication methods, apparatus, and systems to reduce the complexity of network devices in determining inter-cell latency differences.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The apparatus for executing the communication method can be a terminal device, or a module applied in the terminal device to realize its communication function, such as a chip, a chip system, a module, or a component. The communication method includes: receiving a first downlink signal through a first cell and receiving a second downlink signal through a second cell; wherein the first cell and the second cell belong to different network devices; and transmitting inter-cell delay difference information, wherein the inter-cell delay difference information is used to indicate the delay difference between the first delay and the second delay, wherein the first delay is the delay from the first cell to the terminal device, and the second delay is the delay from the second cell to the terminal device, the first delay being determined based on the first downlink signal, and the second delay being determined based on the second downlink signal.

[0007] In the communication method provided in this application embodiment, the terminal device can determine the inter-cell delay difference information based on the downlink signal and report it. This method can reduce the cooperative communication between network devices, thereby reducing the complexity of implementation.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the time delay difference indicated by the inter-cell time delay difference information is the time delay difference between the power peak values ​​of the first power time delay spectrum and the second power time delay spectrum; wherein, the first power time delay spectrum corresponds to the first downlink signal, and the second power time delay spectrum corresponds to the second downlink signal.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the inter-cell latency difference information includes at least one of the identifiers of the first cell or the second cell. In this scheme, the terminal device can use the cell identifier to indicate the correspondence between the inter-cell latency difference and the cell, thereby helping the network device maintain the inter-cell latency difference information.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending terminal device information; the terminal device information includes: an identifier of the grid to which the location of the terminal device belongs, or an identifier of the class to which the channel characteristics measured by the terminal device belong. In this scheme, the terminal device information can be used by subsequent network devices to construct a channel map, or to obtain delay difference information from the channel map.

[0011] Secondly, a communication method is provided. The apparatus for executing the communication method can be a first network device, or a module applied to the first network device to implement its communication function, such as a chip, a chip system, a module, or a component. The communication method includes: sending a downlink signal to at least one terminal device; determining a first delay difference based on inter-cell delay difference information received from the at least one terminal device, the first delay difference being associated with two cells, wherein the two cells belong to different network devices; determining terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference, the terminal device information including at least one of the following: an identifier of the grid to which the location of the terminal device belongs, or an identifier of the class to which the channel characteristics measured by the terminal device belong.

[0012] In the communication method provided in this application embodiment, each terminal device in at least one terminal device reports inter-cell delay difference information, thereby enabling a first network device to determine the correspondence (corresponding to the map construction stage) for subsequent application of the first delay difference (corresponding to the map application stage). On one hand, when applying the first delay difference, the first network device can directly look up the first delay difference in the correspondence without needing extensive signaling interactions, measurements, and calculations, thus simplifying the map application stage process and reducing measurement and calculation overhead. On the other hand, the first delay difference can be determined based on inter-cell delay difference information received from multiple terminal devices, thereby improving the reliability and robustness of the determination result.

[0013] In conjunction with the second aspect mentioned above, in one possible implementation, the first delay difference is the downlink delay difference.

[0014] In conjunction with the second aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second uplink signal or a second channel estimation result from a first terminal device, wherein the second channel estimation result is a channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal, and the second uplink signal is associated with a second cell; obtaining a first delay difference based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the correspondence; and performing delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result based on the first delay difference, the transmission channel delay of the first network device, and the reception channel delay of the second network device. This scheme describes the map application stage where, in the case of a downlink delay difference, for the delay difference Δτ1 between the first cell and the second cell included in the first delay difference, Δτ1 is first converted into an uplink delay difference Δτ1', and then delay compensation is performed on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result. In this scheme, the conversion of the downlink delay difference into an uplink delay difference involves the transmission channel delay and reception channel delay of the first network device and the second network device. The transmission and reception channel delay can be reduced by the first or second network device transmitting and receiving signals independently, thereby reducing the need for collaborative communication between network devices and ensuring a low implementation complexity.

[0015] In conjunction with the second aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first latency difference is an uplink latency difference. Determining the first latency difference based on the inter-cell latency difference information received from the at least one terminal device includes: determining the first latency difference based on the inter-cell latency difference information received from the at least one terminal device, and the transmit channel latency and receive channel latency of the network device managing the cell. In this scheme, the conversion of the downlink latency difference to the uplink latency difference is completed during the map construction phase, thereby further simplifying the process in the subsequent map application phase and reducing computational overhead.

[0016] In conjunction with the second aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second uplink signal or a second channel estimation result from a first terminal device, wherein the second channel estimation result is a channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal, and the second uplink signal is associated with a second cell; obtaining a first delay difference based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the corresponding relationship; and performing delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result based on the first delay difference. This scheme describes the map application stage. When the first delay difference is an uplink delay difference, the first delay difference includes the delay difference Δτ1 between the first cell and the second cell, which can be used to directly perform delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result.

[0017] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: storing terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference.

[0018] Thirdly, a communication method is provided. The apparatus for executing the communication method can be a first network device, or a module applied in the first network device to implement its communication function, such as a chip, a chip system, a module, or a component. The communication method includes: receiving an uplink signal from at least one terminal device; receiving uplink delay information from a second network device; the uplink delay information indicating the delay from the at least one terminal device to the second network device; determining a first delay difference based on the uplink delay information and the uplink signal received from the at least one terminal device, the first delay difference being associated with two cells; determining terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference, the terminal device information including at least one of the following: an identifier of the grid to which the location of the terminal device belongs, or an identifier of the class to which the channel characteristics measured by the terminal device belong.

[0019] In the communication method provided in this application embodiment, a first network device can determine a first delay difference based on uplink delay information and uplink signals, thereby determining a correspondence (corresponding to the map construction stage) to facilitate the subsequent application of the first delay difference (corresponding to the map application stage). On the one hand, when applying the first delay difference later, the first network device can directly look up the first delay difference in the correspondence without needing to determine it through a large amount of signaling interaction, measurement, and calculation, thereby simplifying the process of the map application stage and reducing measurement and calculation overhead. On the other hand, the first delay difference can be determined based on uplink signals received from multiple terminal devices, thereby improving the reliability and robustness of the determination result.

[0020] In conjunction with the third aspect mentioned above, in one possible implementation, the first delay difference is the uplink delay difference.

[0021] In conjunction with the third aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second uplink signal or a second channel estimation result from a first terminal device, wherein the second channel estimation result is a channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal, and the second uplink signal is associated with a second cell; obtaining a first delay difference based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the correspondence; and performing delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result based on the first delay difference. This scheme describes the map application stage. When the first delay difference is an uplink delay difference, the first delay difference includes the delay difference Δτ1 between the first cell and the second cell, which can be used to directly perform delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result.

[0022] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: storing terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference.

[0023] Fourthly, a communication device is provided for implementing the above-described method. This communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the above-described method. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-described functions.

[0024] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device includes: a transceiver module and a determination module; the transceiver module is configured to receive a first downlink signal through a first cell and a second downlink signal through a second cell; wherein the first cell and the second cell belong to different network devices; the transceiver module is further configured to transmit inter-cell delay difference information, wherein the inter-cell delay difference information is used to indicate the delay difference between the first delay and the second delay, wherein the first delay is the delay from the first cell to the terminal device, the second delay is the delay from the second cell to the terminal device, the first delay is determined by the determination module based on the first downlink signal, and the second delay is determined by the determination module based on the second downlink signal.

[0025] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the time delay difference indicated by the inter-cell time delay difference information is the time delay difference between the power peak values ​​of the first power time delay spectrum and the second power time delay spectrum; wherein, the first power time delay spectrum corresponds to the first downlink signal, and the second power time delay spectrum corresponds to the second downlink signal.

[0026] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the inter-cell delay difference information includes at least one of the identifiers of the first cell or the second cell.

[0027] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to transmit terminal device information; the terminal device information includes: the identifier of the grid to which the location of the terminal device belongs, or the identifier of the class to which the channel characteristics measured by the terminal device belong.

[0028] The technical effects of any possible implementation of the fourth aspect can be found in the first aspect or the technical effects of different implementations of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0029] Fifthly, a communication device is provided for implementing the above-described method. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the above-described method. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-described functions.

[0030] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device includes: a transceiver module and a determination module; the transceiver module is configured to transmit downlink signals to at least one terminal device; the determination module is configured to determine a first delay difference based on inter-cell delay difference information received from the at least one terminal device, the first delay difference being associated with two cells, wherein the two cells belong to different network devices; the determination module is further configured to determine terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference, the terminal device information including at least one of the following: the identifier of the grid to which the location of the terminal device belongs, or the identifier of the class to which the channel characteristics measured by the terminal device belong.

[0031] In conjunction with the fifth aspect mentioned above, in one possible implementation, the first delay difference is the downlink delay difference.

[0032] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes: a delay compensation module; the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second uplink signal or a second channel estimation result from the first terminal device, wherein the second channel estimation result is a channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal, and the second uplink signal is associated with a second cell; the determining module is further configured to obtain a first delay difference based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the correspondence; the delay compensation module is further configured to perform delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result based on the first delay difference, the transmission channel delay of the first network device, and the reception channel delay of the second network device.

[0033] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first delay difference is an uplink delay difference; the determining module is used to determine the first delay difference based on the inter-cell delay difference information received from the at least one terminal device through the transceiver module, including: determining the first delay difference based on the inter-cell delay difference information received from the at least one terminal device through the transceiver module, and the transmit channel delay and receive channel delay of the network device managing the cell.

[0034] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes: a delay compensation module; the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second uplink signal or a second channel estimation result from the first terminal device, wherein the second channel estimation result is a channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal, and the second uplink signal is associated with a second cell; the determining module is further configured to obtain a first delay difference based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the correspondence; the delay compensation module is further configured to perform delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result based on the first delay difference.

[0035] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a storage module for storing terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference.

[0036] The technical effects of any possible implementation of the fifth aspect can be found in the second aspect or the technical effects of different implementations of the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0037] Sixthly, a communication device is provided for implementing the above-described method. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the above-described method. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-described functions.

[0038] In conjunction with the sixth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device includes: a transceiver module and a determination module; the transceiver module is configured to receive uplink signals from at least one terminal device; the transceiver module is further configured to receive uplink delay information from a second network device; the uplink delay information indicates the delay from the at least one terminal device to the second network device; the determination module is configured to determine a first delay difference based on the uplink delay information and the uplink signals received from the at least one terminal device through the transceiver module, the first delay difference being associated with two cells; the determination module is further configured to determine terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference, the terminal device information including at least one of the following: an identifier of the grid to which the location of the terminal device belongs, or an identifier of the class to which the channel characteristics measured by the terminal device belong.

[0039] In conjunction with the sixth aspect mentioned above, in one possible implementation, the first delay difference is the downlink delay difference.

[0040] In conjunction with the sixth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes: a delay compensation module; the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second uplink signal or a second channel estimation result from the first terminal device, wherein the second channel estimation result is a channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal, and the second uplink signal is associated with a second cell; the determining module is configured to obtain a first delay difference based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the correspondence; and the delay compensation module is configured to perform delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result based on the first delay difference.

[0041] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a storage module for storing terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference.

[0042] The technical effects of any possible implementation of the sixth aspect can be found in the third aspect or the technical effects of different implementations of the third aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0043] A seventh aspect provides a communication device comprising: a processor; the processor being configured to be coupled to a memory, and after reading computer instructions stored in the memory, to execute, according to the instructions, the method described in any one of the first to third aspects described above.

[0044] In conjunction with the seventh aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory for storing computer instructions.

[0045] In conjunction with the seventh aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface; this communication interface is used for the communication device to communicate with other devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuitry, etc.

[0046] In conjunction with the seventh aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0047] In conjunction with the seventh aspect above, in one possible implementation, when the communication device is a chip or chip system, the aforementioned communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The aforementioned processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0048] Eighthly, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes at least one terminal device and a first network device.

[0049] Wherein, each of the at least one terminal device is configured to perform the method as described in the first aspect above, and the first network device is configured to perform the method as described in the second aspect above; or,

[0050] The first network device is used to perform the method described in the third aspect above.

[0051] In conjunction with the eighth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication system further includes at least one of a first terminal device or a second network device.

[0052] Ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0053] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0054] Eleventhly, a chip is provided, the chip comprising: a processor configured to execute instructions that cause a device including the chip to perform the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0055] In conjunction with the eleventh aspect above, in one possible implementation, the chip also includes a memory for storing instructions.

[0056] The technical effects of any possible implementation of aspects seven through eleven can be found in any of aspects one through three above, as well as the technical effects of any possible implementation of each of the above aspects, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0057] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the channel spectrum;

[0058] Figure 2 A schematic diagram for determining downlink latency differences for network devices;

[0059] Figure 3 This application provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system.

[0060] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the communication between a RAN node and core network elements and terminal equipment, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0061] Figure 5 A UE positioning architecture diagram applicable to NG-RAN is provided for embodiments of this application;

[0062] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the protocol layer of the terminal device and network device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0063] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the network architecture provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0064] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 9 A flowchart of a communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ;

[0066] Figure 10 A schematic diagram illustrating the determination of downlink delay difference by two sets of PDPs for an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 11 A flowchart of a communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ;

[0068] Figure 12 A schematic diagram illustrating the storage method of the correspondence provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0069] Figure 13 A flowchart of a communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 3 ;

[0070] Figure 14A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0072] Before introducing the technical solution of this application, the relevant technical terms involved in this application are explained. It is understood that these explanations are intended to make this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0073] 1. Digital channel twin technology.

[0074] With the development of communication systems from 5th generation (5G) to 5G advanced and future communication systems, the depth and breadth of information interaction are constantly expanding to better realize the Internet of Things. Digital twin technology has emerged to characterize, simulate, optimize, or visualize the physical world in the virtual world. The physical world can provide sensory data for constructing the virtual world; the virtual world can provide simulation data to guide system design and algorithm optimization in the physical world.

[0075] Virtual worlds can be constructed by establishing digital twin channels. However, the prerequisite for establishing digital twin channels is the accurate perception and mastery of physical channels. The following is an introduction to physical channels and digital twin channels.

[0076] In the physical channel, environmental electronic maps (containing terrain, building distribution, river distribution, vegetation distribution, or material electromagnetic parameters) are physical entities. Digital twin channels describe the interactions and coupling relationships of these physical entities, thereby analyzing and predicting changes in the physical channel. A digital twin channel is a true, objective, and complete mapping of the physical channel in digital space. A digital twin channel includes geometric models, physical models, behavioral models, and rule models.

[0077] Among them, the geometric model can describe the three-dimensional model of the physical entities involved in the physical channel, such as the geometric parameters (e.g., size, location) of terrain and land features, achieving good spatiotemporal consistency with the physical entities.

[0078] Building upon the geometric model, the physical model can describe the physical properties and characteristics of the physical channel. By using digital simulation tools to simulate and analyze the structure and electromagnetic fields in the physical channel, the physical model can achieve a dynamic approximate simulation of the physical channel.

[0079] The behavioral model characterizes the changes in physical channels at different granularities caused by external environmental disturbances, such as changes in physical channels that vary with space and changes in physical channels that progress over time.

[0080] In practical communication, the application of digital twin technology can more effectively grasp the entire life cycle of communication transmission, more accurately feed back the communication performance to the design end, and reduce end-to-end feedback overhead and latency.

[0081] 2. Beamforming.

[0082] In multi-antenna beamforming technology, based on the reciprocity between uplink and downlink channels, network devices can estimate the downlink channel using an uplink reference signal and obtain the channel estimation result. Then, the network device can perform weighted processing on the downlink signals from multiple antennas. The weights used in the weighting process are determined based on the channel estimation result. After weighted processing, the multiple signals transmitted by the network device to the terminal device through multiple antennas have consistent phase when they arrive at the receiving end, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the received signal.

[0083] 3. Radio map (hereinafter referred to as "map").

[0084] A map can be a database used to store channel features based on location information. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the physical region can be divided into multiple grid points (or grates), and each grid point stores channel characteristics in the form of a matrix, vector, or scalar. Channel characteristics include statistical covariance matrix, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, and path loss.

[0085] 4. Inter-cell correction algorithm.

[0086] The transmit channel delay TX1 of the base station managing cell 1 and the transmit channel delay TX2 of the base station managing cell 2 may not be equal, and the receive channel delay RX1 of the base station managing cell 1 and the receive channel delay RX2 of the base station managing cell 2 may also not be equal. This will cause differences in the transmit and receive channels between cells. To eliminate this difference, network equipment needs to determine the inter-cell delay difference.

[0087] For example, Figure 2 This diagram illustrates how network devices determine downlink latency difference. RU1 is located in cell 1, and RU2 is located in cell 2. The downlink latency difference can be the latency difference between cell 1 and cell 2 and the terminal device. The downlink latency difference can be expressed as: TX1 + τ1 + RX UE -(TX2+τ2+RX UE), i.e., TX1 + τ1 - TX2 - τ2. TX1 represents the transmission channel delay of RU1, τ1 represents the air interface delay of the signal propagating from cell 1 to the terminal equipment, and RX... UE TX2 represents the receiving channel delay of the terminal device, TX2 represents the transmitting channel delay of RU2, and τ2 represents the air interface delay of the signal propagating from cell 2 to the terminal device.

[0088] The following explanation uses the determination of downlink delay difference by radio unit (RU)1 as an example.

[0089] RU1 can determine the uplink latency difference. This uplink latency difference can be the latency difference between the terminal device and two cells. The uplink latency difference can be expressed as: TX UE +τ1+RX1-(TX UE +τ2+RX2), that is, τ1+RX1-(τ2+RX2). Tx UE RX1 represents the transmit channel delay of the terminal device, RX2 represents the receive channel delay of RU1, and RX2 represents the receive channel delay of RU2. Given the reciprocity between the uplink and downlink channels, the air interface delay of the signal propagating from the terminal device to cell 1 can also be expressed as τ1, and the air interface delay of the signal propagating from the terminal device to cell 2 can also be expressed as τ2. Specifically, the following steps can be performed:

[0090] The terminal equipment sends a sounding reference signal (SRS) to RU1 and RU2 respectively. RU1 and RU2 estimate the frequency domain channel based on the received SRS and calculate the uplink delay. RU2 can send the calculated uplink delay 2 to RU1, so RU1 can subtract the calculated uplink delay 1 from the received uplink delay 2 to obtain the uplink delay difference.

[0091] RU1 can also determine the inter-station delay difference. The inter-station delay difference can be expressed as: TX1+τ′+RX2-(TX2+τ′+RX1), that is, TX1+RX2-(TX2+RX1). τ′ represents the air interface delay of the signal propagation between cell 1 and cell 2. Specifically, the following steps can be performed:

[0092] RU1 sends a signal to RU2. RU2 can calculate the inter-station delay 1 based on the received signal and send the inter-station delay 1 back to RU1. RU2 can also send a signal to RU1. RU1 can calculate the inter-station delay 2 based on the received signal and calculate the difference between inter-station delay 1 and inter-station delay 2 to obtain the inter-station delay difference.

[0093] RU1 can add uplink delay difference and inter-station delay difference to obtain downlink delay difference.

[0094] The uplink delay difference or downlink delay difference in this application can be positive or negative, without restriction.

[0095] The aforementioned method for determining downlink delay difference involves determining inter-station delay difference, requiring RU1 to send a signal to RU2 and RU2 to RU1. Therefore, this method places high demands on the collaborative communication between network devices, leading to high implementation complexity. To reduce implementation complexity, in this application, the terminal device can determine the downlink delay difference and report it to the network device.

[0096] The specific technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one" and "one or more" can be used interchangeably. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0097] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 As shown, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., Figure 3 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110, may also include at least one terminal (such as...). Figure 3 RAN100, denoted as RAN100, comprises RAN nodes 120a-120j, collectively referred to as RAN120. RAN100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 3(Not shown in the image). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Communication system 1000 may also include core network 200. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 via wireless or wired means. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be independent physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of core network equipment and RAN node. Communication system 1000 may also include Internet 300.

[0098] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, an NR system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0099] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates communication between RAN nodes, core network elements, and terminal devices. Core network elements and RAN nodes can communicate via backhaul links. RAN nodes and terminal devices can communicate via an air interface, specifically the Uu port. This application primarily relates to air interface communication between RAN nodes and terminal devices.

[0100] In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can also be a macro base station (such as...) Figure 3 110a in the text), can also be a micro base station or an indoor station (such as... Figure 3 110b in the middle can also be a relay node or a donor node.

[0101] In another application scenario, such as Figure 4As shown, a RAN node can include a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), and a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can communicate via a midhaul link; DUs and RUs can communicate via a fronthaul link. The CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RANC) and Media Access Control (MAC) layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of each of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. CUs and DUs can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0102] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0103] In the case of adopting an O-RAN architecture, the aforementioned RAN node can be an O-enhancement node (eNB); or, the aforementioned RAN node can include at least one of O-CU or O-DU.

[0104] The RAN node in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, the RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software module. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN node. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0105] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. Terminals can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal.

[0106] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0107] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 3 The helicopter or drone 120i can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol; in this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 3 The 110a and 110b in the text can be referred to as communication devices with base station functions. Figure 3 The 120a-120j in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0108] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum, or simultaneously using both licensed and unlicensed (or shared) spectrum. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or simultaneously using both spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0109] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. To communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a radio connection on a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a radio connection is called the terminal's serving cell. When the terminal communicates with this serving cell, it is also susceptible to interference from signals from neighboring cells.

[0110] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal device can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal device, or by a device that includes terminal device functions.

[0111] Combination Figure 3 Taking the terminal as UE, the RAN node as NG-RAN, and the core network elements including location management function (LMF) and access and mobility management function (AMF) as an example, Figure 5 A UE positioning architecture diagram applicable to NG-RAN is shown. For a detailed description, please refer to the technical specification (TS) 38.305.

[0112] The LMF (Local Messaging Function) is used to implement the terminal's positioning function, with applications including emergency call positioning and location information services. The AMF (Automatic Signalling Function) is used to forward signaling from the LMF to the gNB (Gate Network Node), or vice versa. An NG-RAN node can control multiple TRPs (Transmission Points, TPs).

[0113] Optionally, the LMF can connect to an enhanced-serving mobilelocation center (E-SMLC) so that the LMF can access information from the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network, UTRAN).

[0114] Optionally, the LMF can connect to the Secure User Plane Location Platform (SUPL, SLP). The SLP, included in the SUPL architecture, is responsible for user plane positioning. The SUPL architecture also includes the SUPL Enable Terminal (SET), i.e. Figure 5 UE in the middle.

[0115] Among them, the LTE-Uu interface is the interface between the UE and the ng-eNB; the NR-Uu interface is the interface between the UE and the gNB; the Xn interface is the interface between the ng-eNB and the gNB; the NG-C interface is the interface between the AMF and the ng-eNB (or gNB); and the NL1 interface is the interface between the AMF and the LMF.

[0116] Combination Figure 5 , Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the protocol layers of terminal devices and network devices. (Example:) Figure 6 As shown in the diagram, this schematic includes core network equipment, access network equipment, and terminal equipment. The core network equipment may include an AMF (Active Network Function), an LMF (Local Network Function), and a map management function (MMF). Access network equipment is a network-side entity used for transmitting or receiving signals, such as a base station. Terminal equipment is a user-side entity used for receiving or transmitting signals, such as a UE (User Equipment).

[0117] The base station and the AMF can communicate via the NG-C interface, while the AMF and the LMF / MMF can communicate via the NLs interface. In other words, the AMF acts as a router for communication between the base station and the LMF / MMF. The map construction process can be completed in the LMF / MMF, which is used to perform location estimation for terminal devices.

[0118] Both base stations and terminal devices can include a radio resource control (RRC) module, a MAC module, and a physical layer (PHY) module. The RRC module is used by the base station and terminal device to send and receive RRC signaling; the MAC module is used to send and receive MAC-control element (CE) signaling; and the PHY module is used to send and receive uplink control signaling, downlink control signaling, uplink data, and downlink data.

[0119] In combination with the above Figures 3 to 6 , Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the network architecture used in an embodiment of this application is shown. The UE accesses the network through the serving TRP. The serving TRP and the cooperating TRP reside in different physical devices. Each of the serving TRP and the cooperating TRP includes a set of DU and RU.

[0120] exist Figure 7 In (a) of the above, both the serving TRP and the cooperating TRP communicate with the same CU and thus access the core network through the same AMF.

[0121] exist Figure 7 Based on (a) in the middle, Figure 7 The network architecture shown in (b) also includes service units (SUs). SUs communicate directly with CUs and can be used to store maps.

[0122] exist Figure 7 In (c) of the protocol, the serving TRP and the cooperating TRP communicate with different CUs and then access the core network through different AMFs.

[0123] exist Figure 7 Based on (c) in, Figure 7 The network architecture shown in (d) also includes two SUs.

[0124] Combination Figure 3 The terminal device provided in this application embodiment can be, for example, a Figure 3 Any of 120a-120j, the first network device or the second network device provided in the embodiments of this application can be, for example, Figure 3 110a or 110b.

[0125] Combination Figure 5 The terminal device provided in this application embodiment can be, for example, a Figure 5 In the UE, the first network device or the second network device provided in this application embodiment can be, for example, a Figure 5 NG-RAN in.

[0126] Combination Figure 6 The terminal device provided in this application embodiment can be, for example, a Figure 6 The terminal device in this application, such as the first network device or the second network device provided in the embodiments of this application, can be, for example, a terminal device. Figure 6 Base stations in the region.

[0127] Combination Figure 7 The terminal device provided in this application embodiment can be, for example, a Figure 7 In the UE, the first network device provided in this application embodiment can be, for example, a Figure 7 In the service TRP, the second network device provided in this application embodiment can be, for example, a Figure 7 Collaborative TRPs within the framework.

[0128] The functions of the terminal device, the first network device, or the second network device involved in this application can be implemented by one device, or by a combination of multiple devices, or by one or more functional modules within one device, or by one or more chips, or by a system on chip (SOC), a chip system module, or a component. A chip system can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0129] It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0130] For example, the functions of the terminal device, the first network device, or the second network device in the embodiments of this application can be achieved through... Figure 8 The communication device 80 in the middle is used to achieve this.

[0131] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 80 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 80 can be a chip or system-on-a-chip in a terminal device, a first network device, or a second network device; or, the communication device 80 can be a terminal device or a chip or system-on-a-chip in a terminal device.

[0132] The communication device 80 includes one or more processors 801, a communication line 802, and at least one communication interface. Figure 8 (This is merely an example illustration of a communication interface 804 and a processor 801; optionally, a memory 803 may also be included.)

[0133] The processor 801 may be a CPU, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present application.

[0134] The communication line 802 may include a path for connecting different components.

[0135] The communication interface 804 can be a transceiver module used to communicate with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, RAN, WLAN, etc. For example, the transceiver module can be a transceiver or a similar device. Optionally, the communication interface 804 can also be a transceiver circuit located within the processor 801, used to implement the processor's signal input and signal output.

[0136] The memory 803 can be a device with storage functionality. For example, it can be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions; random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices capable of storing information and instructions; electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM); compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage; optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.); magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices; or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited to these. The memory can exist independently and be connected to the processor via communication line 802. The memory can also be integrated with the processor.

[0137] The memory 803 stores computer execution instructions for implementing the scheme of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 801. The processor 801 executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 803, thereby implementing the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0138] Alternatively, in this embodiment, the processor 801 may execute the processing-related functions in the communication method provided in the following embodiments of this application, and the communication interface 804 may be responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks. This embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0139] The computer execution instructions in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as application code, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0140] In a specific implementation, as one example, the processor 801 may include one or more CPUs, for example... Figure 8 CPU0 and CPU1 in the CPU.

[0141] In a specific implementation, as one example, the communication device 80 may include multiple processors, such as... Figure 8 Processors 801 and 807 are mentioned. Each of these processors can be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. Here, "processor" can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used to process data (such as computer program instructions).

[0142] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 80 may further include an output device 805 and an input device 806. The output device 805 communicates with the processor 801 and can display information in various ways.

[0143] The aforementioned communication device 80 can be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. For example, the communication device 80 can be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a handheld digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, an embedded device, or something else with... Figure 8 Devices with similar structures. This application does not limit the type of communication device 80 to any particular embodiment.

[0144] also, Figure 8 The structural composition shown does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, except... Figure 8 In addition to the components shown, the communication device may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0145] The following will combine Figures 1 to 8 The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0146] Figure 9 The flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 1 , Figure 9 The flowchart shown uses a terminal device as an example. Figure 9 The flowchart shown includes the following steps:

[0147] In step S901, the first network device and the second network device respectively send downlink signals to the terminal device.

[0148] Accordingly, the terminal device receives downlink signals from the first network device and the second network device, respectively. For example, the terminal device receives a first downlink signal through a first cell and a second downlink signal through a second cell, where the first cell belongs to the first network device or is managed by the first network device, and the second cell belongs to the second network device or is managed by the second network device. It can be understood that the terminal device receiving the first downlink signal through the first cell can also be referred to as the terminal device receiving the first downlink signal within the coverage area of ​​the first cell, and the terminal device receiving the second downlink signal through the second cell can also be referred to as the terminal device receiving the second downlink signal within the coverage area of ​​the second cell. Alternatively, the terminal device receiving the first downlink signal through the first cell can also be referred to as the terminal device receiving the first downlink signal on the frequency point of the first cell, and the terminal device receiving the second downlink signal through the second cell can also be referred to as the terminal device receiving the second downlink signal on the frequency point of the second cell.

[0149] In one possible implementation, the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal can be orthogonal in the frequency domain or the time domain.

[0150] Optionally, the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal can be weighted during signal transmission to improve the beam directionality and energy concentration of the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal, thereby helping to improve the power of the terminal device in receiving the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal.

[0151] For example, the downlink signal can be at least one of the following: channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), tracking reference signal (TRS), or positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0152] The terminal device can determine the inter-cell delay difference information based on the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal. In other words, the inter-cell delay difference information is related to the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal, or in other words, the inter-cell delay difference information is related to the first cell and the second cell. It can be understood that the above-mentioned relationship can also be referred to as correlation or correspondence.

[0153] Inter-cell latency difference information is used to indicate the latency difference between two network devices and the terminal device, i.e., downlink latency difference. This downlink latency difference can also be understood as the latency difference between two cells and the terminal device.

[0154] Optionally, the inter-cell delay difference information is related to the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal, including: the delay difference indicated by the inter-cell delay difference information is the delay difference between the power peak values ​​of the first power delay profile (PDP) and the second PDP; wherein, the first PDP is related to the first downlink signal, and the second PDP is related to the second downlink signal.

[0155] Optionally, the delay difference indicated by the inter-cell delay difference information can also be the delay difference between the aforementioned power peaks after processing (e.g., quantization processing for floating-point numbers). This application does not impose any limitations on the processing method of the delay difference between power peaks.

[0156] The terminal device can determine the PDP based on the downlink signal as follows: The terminal device can estimate the frequency domain channel based on the downlink signal, and then obtain the PDP based on the frequency domain channel estimation result. For example, the frequency domain channel estimation result can be used to obtain the PDP through inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT).

[0157] Figure 10 A schematic diagram is shown illustrating the downlink delay difference determined by the first PDP and the second PDP. The horizontal axis represents delay, and the vertical axis represents power. The solid line and the dotted line represent the first PDP and the second PDP, respectively. This represents a maximum value of the power contained in the first PDP. express The corresponding delay, This indicates the time delay corresponding to another maximum value of the power included in the first PDP.

[0158] In one possible implementation, the terminal device can use the delay difference Δτ between the power peaks of the first PDP and the second PDP as the downlink delay difference.

[0159] In another possible implementation, the terminal device can perform sliding correlation between the first PDP and the second PDP, determine the sliding value Δτ that maximizes the correlation between the first PDP and the second PDP after sliding, and use Δτ as the downlink delay difference.

[0160] Step S902: The terminal device sends inter-cell delay difference information to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the inter-cell delay difference information from the terminal device.

[0161] Alternatively, the terminal device sends inter-cell latency difference information to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the inter-cell latency difference information from the terminal device.

[0162] Alternatively, the terminal device sends inter-cell latency difference information to the first network device and the second network device. Correspondingly, the first network device and the second network device receive the inter-cell latency difference information from the terminal device.

[0163] As described above, the inter-cell latency difference information is related to the first cell and the second cell. Therefore, the terminal device can indicate the correspondence between the inter-cell latency difference information and the cell or network device through the cell identifier or network device identifier. This application embodiment uses the cell identifier as an example. For instance, the inter-cell latency difference information may include the identifier of the first cell and the identifier of the second cell. Or, if the inter-cell latency difference information is sent to the first network device, it may include the identifier of the second cell, thereby enabling the network device to know that the inter-cell latency difference information is the latency difference from the two cells to the terminal device.

[0164] In some possible implementations, after receiving the aforementioned inter-cell latency difference information, the network device can maintain the inter-cell latency difference information in conjunction with the terminal device information. Optionally, the terminal device information includes any of the following:

[0165] a) The identifier of the grid to which the terminal device is located;

[0166] b) The identifier of the class (hereinafter referred to as virtual class) to which the channel characteristics measured by the terminal device belong; or,

[0167] c) Terminal device information can also be the specific location of the terminal device, such as the longitude and latitude of the terminal device's location.

[0168] Optionally, the terminal device information can be sent by the terminal device to the network device, or it can be obtained by the network device through other means; this application embodiment does not limit this. For example, inter-cell delay difference information can be included in uplink control information (UCI).

[0169] In the communication method provided in this application embodiment, the terminal device can determine the inter-cell delay difference information based on the downlink signal and report it. This method can reduce the cooperative communication between network devices, thereby reducing the complexity of implementation.

[0170] It is understood that the above embodiments are illustrated using a single terminal device as an example. The above methods can be applied to multiple terminal devices, and each terminal device can refer to the above methods for implementation. Furthermore, one or more other network devices may send downlink signals to the terminal device, and the terminal device can refer to the above methods for the received downlink signals.

[0171] Figure 9The illustrated embodiment can occur during the graph construction phase. During the graph construction phase, the first network device can construct a graph based on inter-cell delay difference information received from at least one terminal device. To describe the process of the first network device constructing the graph, Figure 11 The flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 2 Each of the at least one terminal device can execute... Figure 9 The method in the illustrated embodiment. Figure 11 The flowchart shown includes the following steps:

[0172] Step S1101: The first network device sends a downlink signal to at least one terminal device.

[0173] Accordingly, at least one terminal device receives a downlink signal from the first network device.

[0174] In this application, the first network device can manage the first cell. The downlink signal in step S1101 can be transmitted through the first cell.

[0175] For example, the downlink signal can be CSI-RS, TRS, or PRS.

[0176] In one possible implementation, the terminal device can send at least one of location information or the identification information of the grid where the location is located to the first network device, so that the first network device can obtain the terminal device information.

[0177] In another possible implementation, the first network device can estimate the channel with the terminal device through uplink signals. Based on the reciprocity between the uplink and downlink channels, the first network device can use the class to which the estimated channel characteristics belong as terminal device information.

[0178] In this application, similarly, the action performed by the first network device in step S1101 can also be performed by the Nth network device. The Nth network device manages the Nth cell, or the Nth cell belongs to the Nth network device.

[0179] Step S1102: At least one terminal device sends inter-cell delay difference information to the first network device.

[0180] Accordingly, the first network device determines a first delay difference based on the inter-cell delay difference information received from at least one terminal device, and the first delay difference is associated with the two cells.

[0181] In step S1102, the inter-cell delay difference information may include the delay difference information between the first cell and the Nth cell, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. Then, the first network device can obtain one or more delay difference information between the first cell and the Nth cell based on one or more inter-cell delay difference information.

[0182] Taking a terminal device as an example, this terminal device can send latency difference information between a first cell and an Nth cell to a first network device. For instance, this terminal device can receive downlink signals through the first cell, or through a second cell and a third cell. The terminal device can send latency difference information between the first cell and the second cell, and latency difference information between the first cell and the third cell, to the first network device. In other words, the inter-cell latency difference information sent by the terminal device to the first network device includes: latency difference information between the first cell and the second cell, and latency difference information between the first cell and the third cell. Optionally, the terminal device can also send inter-cell latency difference information to the first network device multiple times.

[0183] The time delay difference information between the first cell and the Nth cell can be obtained from... Figure 9 The method provided in the illustrated embodiment determines this. That is, in Figure 9 In the illustrated embodiment, the two cells are the first cell and the Nth cell, respectively. When N=2, Figure 9 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments do not need to be replaced. When N>2, in Figure 9 In the description of the illustrated embodiment, the second network device can be replaced by the Nth network device that manages the Nth cell.

[0184] Optionally, the number of time delay differences between the first cell and the Nth cell indicated by the inter-cell time delay difference information in step S1102 can be one or more. The first time delay difference includes a time delay difference between the first cell and the Nth cell.

[0185] For example, the determination method of the first delay difference is described below in different cases. Optionally, based on terminal device information, the first network device can determine the first delay difference according to the inter-cell delay difference information received from at least one terminal device.

[0186] 1) Case 1: The first delay difference is the delay difference between two cells and at least one terminal device, that is, the first delay difference is the downlink delay difference.

[0187] When the number of delay differences between the first cell and the Nth cell (e.g., the second cell) in step S1102 is one, the first delay difference includes that delay difference.

[0188] When there are multiple delay differences between the first cell and the Nth cell in step S1102, the first delay difference includes a delay difference between the first cell and the Nth cell, which can be, for example, the statistical average, weighted average, mean square value, or median of the multiple delay differences.

[0189] Optionally, when there are multiple delay differences between the first cell and the Nth cell in step S1102, corresponding processing can be performed based on the inter-cell delay difference information corresponding to the same or similar terminal device information to obtain the first delay difference. For example, the first delay difference may include the statistical average, weighted average, mean square value, or median of multiple delay differences, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0190] For example, when there are 4 delay differences between the first cell and the second cell in step S1102, and the 4 terminal devices that report the 4 delay differences are located in the same grid, or belong to the same virtual class, or are close in location, the first network device can take the statistical average, weighted average, mean square value, or median of the 4 delay differences as the delay difference between the first cell and the second cell included in the first delay.

[0191] 2) Scenario 2: The first delay difference is the delay difference between at least one terminal device and two cells, that is, the first delay difference is the uplink delay difference.

[0192] In this case, the first network device determines the first delay difference based on the inter-cell delay difference information received from at least one terminal device, as well as the transmit channel delay and receive channel delay of the network device managing the cell.

[0193] When the delay difference between the first cell and the Nth cell (e.g., the second cell) in step S1102 is one, the delay difference can be used as the second delay difference.

[0194] When there are multiple delay differences between the first cell and the Nth cell in step S1102, the statistical average, weighted average, mean square value, or median of these multiple delay differences can be used as the second delay difference.

[0195] Optionally, when there are multiple delay differences between the first cell and the Nth cell in step S1102, the delay difference between cells can be processed based on the delay difference information between the same or similar terminal devices to obtain a second delay difference. For example, the second delay difference can be the statistical average, weighted average, mean square value, or median of multiple delay differences.

[0196] For example, when the number of delay differences between the first cell and the second cell in step S1102 is 4, and the 4 terminal devices that report the 4 delay differences are located in the same grid, or belong to the same virtual class, or are close in location, the first network device can take the statistical average, weighted average, mean square value, or median of the 4 delay differences as the second delay difference.

[0197] It can be understood that the second delay difference is the downlink delay difference. The following provides an example of a possible implementation of obtaining the uplink delay difference from the downlink delay difference.

[0198] In one possible implementation, the downlink delay difference can be expressed as:

[0199] TX1+τ1+RX UE -(TXN+τ N +RX UE )=TX1+τ1-TXN-τ N Formula (1)

[0200] The time delay difference obtained by the first network device through self-transmission and self-reception of signals in the first cell can be expressed as:

[0201] TX1-RX1 formula (2)

[0202] The time delay difference obtained by the Nth network device through the self-transmission and self-reception of signals in the Nth cell can be expressed as:

[0203] Formula (3) for TXN-RXN

[0204] The uplink delay difference can be expressed as:

[0205] TX UE +τ1+RX1-(TX UE +τ N +RXN)=τ1+RX1-(τ N +RXN) formula (4)

[0206] Formula (4) can be obtained by calculating formula (1) - formula (2) + formula (3).

[0207] In one possible implementation, the downlink delay difference can be expressed as formula (1) above. The uplink delay difference can be expressed as formula (4).

[0208] The time delay difference obtained by the first network device through self-transmission and self-reception of signals in the first cell can be expressed as:

[0209] RX1-TX1 formula (5)

[0210] The time delay difference obtained by the Nth network device through the self-transmission and self-reception of signals in the Nth cell can be expressed as:

[0211] Formula (6) for RXN-TXN

[0212] Formula (4) can be obtained by calculating formula (1) + formula (5) - formula (6).

[0213] In one possible implementation, the delay difference obtained by the first network device through self-transmission and self-reception of signals in the first cell can be expressed as formula (2) above. The delay difference obtained by the Nth network device through self-transmission and self-reception of signals in the Nth cell can be expressed as formula (3) above.

[0214] The downlink delay difference can be expressed as:

[0215] TXN+τ N +RX UE -(TX1+τ1+RX UE )=TXN+τ N -TX1-τ1 formula (7)

[0216] The uplink delay difference can be expressed as:

[0217] TX UE +τ N +RXN-(TX UE +τ1+RX1)=τ N +RXN-(τ1+RX1) Formula (8)

[0218] Formula (8) can be obtained by calculating formula (7) + formula (2) - formula (3).

[0219] In one possible implementation, the downlink delay difference can be expressed as formula (7) above. The delay difference obtained by the first network device through the first cell's self-transmitted and self-received signal can be expressed as formula (5) above. The downlink delay difference can be expressed as formula (8). The delay difference obtained by the Nth network device through the Nth cell's self-transmitted and self-received signal can be expressed as formula (6) above.

[0220] Formula (8) can be obtained by calculating formula (7) - formula (5) + formula (6).

[0221] Step S1103: The first network device determines the terminal device information of at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference.

[0222] The first network device can store the above-mentioned correspondence, for example, the first network device can store the above-mentioned correspondence in the form of a graph. Figure 12As shown in (a), a mapping stored by the first network device may include, for example, an identifier of the first cell, an identifier of a grid or virtual class, an identifier of the Nth cell, and a first latency difference. The identifier of the grid or virtual class belongs to terminal device information of at least one terminal device, and the first latency difference is the latency difference between the first cell and the Nth cell. Alternatively, a mapping stored by the first network device may include, for example, an identifier of a grid or virtual class, an identifier of the Nth cell, and a latency difference between the first cell and the Nth cell.

[0223] When there are different values ​​for N, the first network device can store multiple correspondences, that is, the storage structure will be expanded to multiple rows or more columns. Figure 12 (b) in the diagram illustrates the addition of more columns to the storage structure.

[0224] When the storage structure is expanded to multiple rows, an index value can be added to uniquely identify a corresponding item or a row. For example... Figure 12 As shown in (c), the storage structure will be expanded to N-1 rows, each row can be uniquely identified by an index value. The first row is used to store the latency difference between the first cell and the second cell, the second row is used to store the latency difference between the first cell and the third cell, ..., the N-1th row is used to store the latency difference between the first cell and the Nth cell.

[0225] Understandably, the latency map can be shared among multiple network devices. In other words, the latency map can include the latency difference between any two cells out of N cells. For example, the first network device, the second network device, ..., and the Nth network device can share the latency map, which can include the latency difference between the first and second cells, the latency difference between the first and Nth cells, the latency difference between the second and Nth cells, and so on.

[0226] If the map stored by the first network device does not include the identifier of the first cell, the first network device can send the stored map and the identifier of the first cell to other network devices to achieve map sharing.

[0227] Optionally, the stored maps can be updated periodically, for example, once per hour or once per day. That is, updated periodically. Figure 11 or subsequent Figure 14 The described embodiment is used to update the stored map.

[0228] Combination Figure 7 , Figure 11 The actions performed by the first network device described in the illustrated embodiment can be performed by the DU in the serving TRP; Figure 11 The actions performed by the Nth network device as described in the illustrated embodiment can be performed by the DU in the cooperative TRP. Alternatively, Figure 11The actions performed by the first network device described in the illustrated embodiment can be performed by the DU in the cooperative TRP; Figure 11 The actions performed by the Nth network device as described in the illustrated embodiment can be performed by the DU in the service TRP.

[0229] Combination Figure 7 In step (b), the correspondence determined in step S1103 can be stored in the SU and shared among network devices (or cells).

[0230] Combination Figure 7 (d) in the middle, when Figure 11 When the action performed by the first network device described in the illustrated embodiment is executed by the DU in the serving TRP, the correspondence determined in step S1103 can be stored in the SU corresponding to the serving TRP. Figure 11 When the action performed by the first network device described in the illustrated embodiment is executed by the DU in the cooperative TRP, the correspondence determined in step S1103 can be stored in the SU corresponding to the cooperative TRP. The content stored in the SU corresponding to the service TRP and the SU corresponding to the cooperative TRP can be shared or not, without restriction.

[0231] In the communication method provided in this application embodiment, each terminal device in at least one terminal device reports inter-cell delay difference information, thereby enabling a first network device to determine the correspondence (corresponding to the map construction stage) for subsequent application of the first delay difference (corresponding to the map application stage). On one hand, when applying the first delay difference, the first network device can directly look up the first delay difference in the correspondence without needing extensive signaling interactions, measurements, and calculations, thus simplifying the map application stage process and reducing measurement and calculation overhead. On the other hand, the first delay difference can be determined based on inter-cell delay difference information received from multiple terminal devices, thereby improving the reliability and robustness of the determination result.

[0232] The above Figures 9 to 12 The illustrated embodiment can occur during the map construction phase. The following is in conjunction with... Figure 13 Taking the execution entities as the first terminal device, the first network device, and the second network device as an example, the process of the map application stage is described. It is understandable that the second network device can be replaced by the Nth network device, the second cell can be replaced by the Nth cell, the second uplink signal can be replaced by the Nth uplink signal, and the second channel estimation result can be replaced by the Nth channel estimation result. Figure 13 The flowchart shown includes the following steps:

[0233] Step S1301: The first terminal device sends a first uplink signal to the first network device.

[0234] Accordingly, the first network device receives a first uplink signal from the first terminal device.

[0235] It is understandable that the first terminal device sends a first uplink signal to the first network device within the coverage area of ​​the first cell. Alternatively, the first terminal device sends a first uplink signal to the first network device on the frequency point of the first cell.

[0236] For example, the uplink signal may include a sounding reference signal (SRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), or at least one carried in the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0237] In this application, step S1301 is an optional step.

[0238] Step S1302: The first terminal device sends a second uplink signal to the second network device.

[0239] Accordingly, the second network device receives a second uplink signal from the first terminal device.

[0240] The second uplink signal is associated with the second cell. This means that the first terminal device sends the second uplink signal to the second network device within the coverage area of ​​the second cell. Alternatively, the first terminal device sends the second uplink signal to the second network device on the frequency of the second cell.

[0241] Step S1303: The second network device forwards the second uplink signal to the first network device; or, the second network device sends the second channel estimation result to the first network device. Accordingly, the first network device receives the second uplink signal forwarded by the second network device (or the first network device receives the second uplink signal from the first terminal device of the second network device); or, the first network device receives the second channel estimation result from the second network device.

[0242] The second channel estimation result is the channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal. The second channel estimation result is obtained by the second network device performing channel estimation on the second uplink signal. The second channel estimation result can be expressed as follows:

[0243] Optionally, if the first uplink signal and the second uplink signal are carried on a PUSCH, the second network device may forward the second uplink signal to the first network device. Accordingly, the first network device receives the second uplink signal forwarded by the second network device.

[0244] Step S1304: The first network device obtains the first delay difference based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the corresponding relationship.

[0245] Among them, the terminal equipment information of the first terminal device and Figure 11 In the illustrated embodiments, at least one terminal device has the same terminal device information. The following describes how the terminal device information of the first terminal device is obtained.

[0246] In one possible implementation, the first terminal device may report terminal device information to the first network device. Specifically, the first terminal device may send to the first network device at least one of the following: the identifier of the grid to which the first terminal device is located, the identifier of the virtual class to which the terminal device belongs, or the specific location information of the first terminal device. Optionally, the terminal device information of the first terminal device may be carried in the first uplink signal.

[0247] In another possible implementation, the first network device can determine the terminal device information of the first terminal device. The first terminal device can send an uplink signal to the first network device, and the first network device can measure the channel characteristics of the uplink channel based on the uplink signal. Based on the reciprocity of the uplink and downlink channels, the channel characteristics of the uplink channel can also be used as the channel characteristics of the downlink channel, thereby allowing the first network device to determine the identifier of the virtual class to which the terminal device belongs. For example, the aforementioned uplink signal can be a first uplink signal.

[0248] For example, suppose the first network device uses Figure 12 The correspondence is stored in the form of (b) or (c). The first delay difference includes the delay difference between the first cell and the second cell, the delay difference between the first cell and the third cell, ... the delay difference between the first cell and the Nth cell.

[0249] The first network device can determine the first delay difference (i.e., the delay difference between the first cell and the second cell, hereinafter denoted as Δτ1) based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the corresponding relationship. The identifier of the second cell can be sent from the second network device to the first network device.

[0250] Alternatively, the first network device can determine Δτ1 based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the second cell, and the corresponding relationship. That is, one of the two cells is the first cell by default.

[0251] If the first delay difference is the uplink delay difference, proceed to step S1305a; if the first delay difference is the downlink delay difference, proceed to step S1305b.

[0252] Step S1305a: The first network device performs delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result based on the first delay difference.

[0253] When the first delay difference is equal to the uplink delay difference, the first delay difference Δτ1 can be used to compensate for the delay of the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result. For example, the second channel estimation result after delay compensation can be expressed as follows: For example, Δτ1 can be used to compensate for the time delay of the second uplink signal, making the phases of the first uplink signal and the compensated second uplink signal equal in the frequency domain. Compared to demodulating the first and second uplink signals, the coherence of the first uplink signal and the compensated second uplink signal increases, thereby increasing the demodulation gain.

[0254] Step S1305b: The first network device performs delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result based on the first delay difference, the transmission channel delay of the first network device and the reception channel delay of the second network device.

[0255] When the first delay difference is the downlink delay difference, Δτ1 can be converted into the uplink delay difference Δτ1', and then delay compensation can be applied to the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result. The specific method for converting the first delay difference into the uplink delay difference can be found in step S1102 above, which describes how to obtain the uplink delay difference from the downlink delay difference; it will not be elaborated further. For example, the second channel estimation result after delay compensation can be expressed as... For example, Δτ1' can be used to compensate for the time delay of the second uplink signal, making the phases of the first uplink signal and the compensated second uplink signal equal in the frequency domain. Compared to demodulating the first and second uplink signals, the coherence of the first uplink signal and the compensated second uplink signal increases, thereby increasing the demodulation gain.

[0256] The first uplink signal or the channel estimation result corresponding to the first uplink signal, and the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result after time delay compensation, can be used to determine the joint weights between cells, beamforming, or precoding design. This application does not limit the application scenario in any way.

[0257] For example, the channel estimation result corresponding to the first uplink signal and the second channel estimation result after time delay compensation can be used to determine the weights corresponding to different radio frequency link signals (or signals transmitted by different antennas) of the first and second network devices. In beamforming technology, the amplitude or phase of different radio frequency link signals can be adjusted by multiplying them by different weights, thereby forming an electromagnetic wave with a specific radiation direction. Through beamforming, the downlink signals transmitted by the first and second network devices can be in phase when they reach the terminal device, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the received signal.

[0258] Since the weights of the first and second network devices are jointly determined, these weights can also be referred to as inter-cell joint weights. The process of determining these weights can also be called the precoding design process.

[0259] exist Figures 9 to 12 The illustrated embodiment describes a map construction phase, in which each of at least one terminal device reports the downlink latency difference so that the first network device can construct the map. In another possible approach, the first network device can measure the uplink latency difference and construct the map based on the measurement results. Taking an example where the execution entities are at least one terminal device, a first network device, and a second network device... Figure 14 A flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. It will be understood that the second network device can also be replaced by an Nth network device. Figure 14 The flowchart shown includes the following steps:

[0260] Step S1401: At least one terminal device sends an uplink signal to the first network device and the second network device.

[0261] Accordingly, the first network device and the second network device receive uplink signals from at least one terminal device.

[0262] In this application, the first network device can manage the first cell, and the second network device can manage the second cell.

[0263] For example, the uplink signal may include at least one of SRS or DMRS.

[0264] Step S1402: The second network device sends uplink delay information to the first network device.

[0265] Accordingly, the first network device receives uplink latency information from the second network device.

[0266] The uplink latency information indicates the latency from at least one terminal device to the second network device. In other words, the uplink latency information indicates the latency from at least one terminal device to the second cell managed by the second network device.

[0267] Taking a terminal device as an example, the second network device can estimate the frequency domain channel based on the received uplink signal from the terminal device and calculate the uplink delay from the terminal device to the second network device to generate uplink delay information.

[0268] Step S1403: The first network device determines a first delay difference based on the uplink delay information and the uplink signal received from at least one terminal device. The first delay difference is associated with two cells.

[0269] Optionally, the first latency difference is the latency difference between at least one terminal device and two cells. That is, the first latency difference is the uplink latency difference. For example, the first latency difference is associated with the first cell and the second cell.

[0270] In this application, for at least one terminal device including a second terminal device, the first network device can determine the latency from the second terminal device to the first network device (or the first cell) based on the uplink signal received from the second terminal device. In one possible implementation, the latency from the second terminal device to the first network device is subtracted from the latency from the second terminal device to the second network device to obtain the latency difference between the first cell and the second cell, which is the uplink latency difference.

[0271] When at least one terminal device is a terminal device, that is, when the number of delay differences between the first cell and the second cell is one, the first delay difference is that delay difference.

[0272] Optionally, when there are multiple delay differences between the first cell and the second cell, the delay difference between cells can be processed based on the delay difference information of the same or similar terminal devices to obtain the first delay difference. The first delay difference can be, for example, the statistical average, weighted average, mean square value, or median of the multiple delay differences.

[0273] For example, when there are 4 delay differences between the first cell and the second cell, and the 4 terminal devices that report the 4 delay differences are located in the same grid, or belong to the same virtual class, or are close in location, the first network device can take the statistical average, weighted average, mean square value, or median of the 4 delay differences as the first delay difference.

[0274] Step S1404: The first network device determines the terminal device information of at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference.

[0275] The description of step S1404 can be found in the description of step S1103, and the detailed description of the terminal device information can be found in the description of step S902 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0276] Combination Figure 14 In the application stage of the map, you can refer to Figure 13 The specific description of the first delay difference as the uplink delay difference in the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0277] Combination Figure 7 , Figure 14 The actions performed by the first network device described in the illustrated embodiment can be performed by the DU in the serving TRP; Figure 14The actions performed by the second network device described in the illustrated embodiment can be performed by the DU in the cooperative TRP. Alternatively, Figure 14 The actions performed by the first network device described in the illustrated embodiment can be performed by the DU in the cooperative TRP; Figure 14 The actions performed by the second network device described in the illustrated embodiment can be performed by the DU in the service TRP.

[0278] Combination Figure 7 In step (b), the correspondence determined in step S1404 can be stored in the SU and shared among network devices (or cells).

[0279] Combination Figure 7 (d) in the middle, when Figure 14 When the action performed by the first network device described in the illustrated embodiment is executed by the DU in the serving TRP, the correspondence determined in step S1404 can be stored in the SU corresponding to the serving TRP. Figure 14 When the action performed by the first network device described in the illustrated embodiment is executed by the DU in the cooperative TRP, the correspondence determined in step S1404 can be stored in the SU corresponding to the cooperative TRP. The content stored in the SU corresponding to the service TRP and the SU corresponding to the cooperative TRP can be shared or not, without restriction.

[0280] In the above embodiments, the storage format of a graph is used as an example for description. It is understood that the storage format of the correspondence is not limited to a graph, but may also be a mapping table or a table. This application embodiment does not limit this in any way.

[0281] It is understood that, in order to achieve the above-mentioned functions, terminal devices or network devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0282] This application embodiment can divide the terminal device or network device into functional modules according to the above method embodiments. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0283] For example, the terminal device or network device in the embodiments of this application can adopt Figure 15 This is implemented in the form of a communication device. The communication device 150 may include a transceiver module 151. For example, the communication device 150 can be used to implement the above-described... Figure 9 The method embodiment shown illustrates the functions of the terminal device, the first network device, or the second network device; alternatively, the communication device 150 can be used to implement the above-described functions. Figure 11 In the method embodiments shown, at least one terminal device in the terminal device has the function of each terminal device or the function of the first network device; or, the communication device 150 can be used to implement the above. Figure 13 or Figure 14 The method embodiments shown describe the functions of each terminal device, the first network device, or the second network device in at least one terminal device.

[0284] When the communication device 150 is used to achieve the above Figure 11 or Figure 14 In the method embodiment shown, when the first network device functions, the communication device 150 further includes a determining module 152 and a storage module 153. The determining module 152 is used to determine a first delay difference and to determine the correspondence between terminal device information of at least one terminal device, two cells, and the first delay difference. The storage module 153 is used to store the terminal device information of at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells, and the first delay difference.

[0285] When the communication device 150 is used to achieve the above Figure 9 When the terminal device functions as shown in the method embodiment; or, when the communication device 150 is used to implement the above... Figure 11 or Figure 14 In the method embodiment shown, when each terminal device in at least one terminal device is functioning, the communication device 150 further includes a determination module 152. The determination module 152 is used to determine inter-cell delay difference information based on the downlink signal.

[0286] When the communication device 150 can be used to achieve the above Figure 13In the method embodiment shown, when the first network device functions as described, the communication device 150 further includes a delay compensation module 154. The delay compensation module 154 is used to perform delay compensation on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result.

[0287] For a more detailed description of the above-mentioned transceiver module 151, determination module 152, storage module 153 and delay compensation module 154, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0288] In this embodiment, the communication device 150 is presented in an integrated manner, divided into various functional modules. Here, "module" can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above-mentioned functions.

[0289] In a simplified embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 150 can employ... Figure 8 The communication device 80 shown is in the form of [example device].

[0290] for example, Figure 8 The processors 801 and / or 807 in the communication device 80 shown can execute the communication method in the above-described method embodiment by calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 803. Specifically, Figure 15 Some functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 151 in the middle can be achieved through... Figure 8 The communication module connected to the communication interface 804 in the middle is used to achieve this. Figure 15 The partial functions / implementation process of the determination module 152 or the delay compensation module 154 can be obtained through Figure 8 The processors 801 and / or 807 in the communication device 80 shown call computer execution instructions stored in the memory 803 to implement the communication. Figure 15 Some functions / implementation processes of storage module 153 can be obtained through Figure 8 The communication device 80 shown is implemented using a memory 803.

[0291] Since the communication device 150 provided in this embodiment can execute the above-described communication method, the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above-described method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0292] It should be noted that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both. When any of the above modules or units are implemented by software, the software exists as computer program instructions and is stored in memory. The processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into a SoC or ASIC, or it can be a separate semiconductor chip. In addition to the core that executes the software instructions for computation or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as FPGAs, PLDs, or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0293] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, PLD, application-specific digital circuit, hardware accelerator, or non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or perform the above method flow independently of software.

[0294] Optionally, embodiments of this application also provide a chip system, including: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instructions in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices; embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0295] Optionally, embodiments of this application also provide a communication system, including: at least one terminal device and a first network device.

[0296] Optionally, embodiments of this application also provide a communication system, including: at least one terminal device, a first network device, and an Nth network device.

[0297] Optionally, embodiments of this application also provide a communication system, including: a first network device and an Nth network device.

[0298] Optionally, embodiments of this application also provide a communication system, including: a first terminal device, a first network device, and an Nth network device.

[0299] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0300] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, disclosure, and appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0301] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of this application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if such modifications and modifications of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The first downlink signal is received through a first cell, and the second downlink signal is received through a second cell, wherein the first cell and the second cell belong to different network devices; Sending inter-cell delay difference information, wherein the inter-cell delay difference information is used to indicate the delay difference between a first delay and a second delay, wherein the first delay is the delay from the first cell to the terminal device, the second delay is the delay from the second cell to the terminal device, the first delay is determined based on the first downlink signal, and the second delay is determined based on the second downlink signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The time delay difference indicated by the inter-cell time delay difference information is the time delay difference between the power peak values ​​of the first power time delay spectrum and the second power time delay spectrum; wherein, the first power time delay spectrum corresponds to the first downlink signal, and the second power time delay spectrum corresponds to the second downlink signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The inter-cell delay difference information includes at least one of the identifier of the first cell or the identifier of the second cell.

4. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send downlink signals to at least one terminal device; Based on the inter-cell latency difference information received from the at least one terminal device, a first latency difference is determined, wherein the first latency difference is associated with two cells, wherein the two cells belong to different network devices; The correspondence between the terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the two cells and the first delay difference is determined. The terminal device information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the grid to which the location of the terminal device belongs, or the identifier of the class to which the channel characteristics measured by the terminal device belong.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first delay difference is the downlink delay difference.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a second uplink signal or a second channel estimation result from the first terminal device, wherein the second channel estimation result is a channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal, and the second uplink signal is associated with the second cell; The first delay difference is obtained based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the corresponding relationship. Based on the first delay difference, the transmission channel delay of the first network device, and the reception channel delay of the second network device, delay compensation is performed on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first latency difference is the uplink latency difference. Determining the first latency difference based on the inter-cell latency difference information received from the at least one terminal device includes: The first delay difference is determined based on the inter-cell delay difference information received from the at least one terminal device, and the transmit channel delay and receive channel delay of the network device managing the cell.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a second uplink signal or a second channel estimation result from the first terminal device, wherein the second channel estimation result is a channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal, and the second uplink signal is associated with the second cell; The first delay difference is obtained based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the corresponding relationship. Based on the first delay difference, delay compensation is performed on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result.

9. The method according to any one of claims 4-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference are stored.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive uplink signals from at least one terminal device; Receive uplink latency information from the second network device; The uplink latency information indicates the latency from the at least one terminal device to the second network device; Based on the uplink delay information and the uplink signal received from the at least one terminal device, a first delay difference is determined, and the first delay difference is associated with two cells; Determine the correspondence between the terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the two cells, and the first delay difference; the terminal device information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the grid to which the location of the terminal device belongs, or the identifier of the class to which the channel characteristics measured by the terminal device belong.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first delay difference is the downlink delay difference.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a second uplink signal or a second channel estimation result from the first terminal device, wherein the second channel estimation result is a channel estimation result corresponding to the second uplink signal, and the second uplink signal is associated with the second cell; The first delay difference is obtained based on the terminal device information of the first terminal device, the identifier of the first cell, the identifier of the second cell, and the corresponding relationship. Based on the first delay difference, delay compensation is performed on the second uplink signal or the second channel estimation result.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10-12, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device information of the at least one terminal device, the correspondence between the two cells and the first delay difference are stored.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes: a module or unit for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1-3; or, a module or unit for implementing the method according to any one of claims 4-9; or, a module or unit for implementing the method according to any one of claims 10-13.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor, on which a program is executed, causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-3; or causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 4-9; or causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 10-13.

16. The communication device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The communication device further includes a memory coupled to the processor, the memory being used to store the program.

17. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes at least one terminal device and a first network device; Wherein, each of the at least one terminal device is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-3, and the first network device is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 4-9; or, The first network device is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 10-13.

18. The communication system according to claim 17, characterized in that, The communication system further includes at least one of a first terminal device or a second network device.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It contains a computer program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-3; or causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 4-9; or causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 10-13.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-3; or cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 4-9; or cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 10-13.

21. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes: a processor and a memory, the memory for storing instructions, and the processor for executing the instructions, such that a device including the chip performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-3; or, such that a device including the chip performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 4-9; or, such that a device including the chip performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 10-13.

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